User:Jaspergeli/Vivarium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A vivarium (Latin, literally for "place of life"; plural: vivaria or vivariums) is an area, usually enclosed, for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research. An enclosure, container, or structure adapted or prepared for keeping animals under seminatural conditions for observation or study or as pets; an aquarium or terrarium. Often, a portion of the ecosystem for a particular species is simulated on a smaller scale, with controls for environmental conditions. It is a tank or container of any size mostly having at least one transparent side in which organisms are kept and displayed.
A vivarium may be small enough to sit on a desk or table, such as a terrarium or an aquarium, or maybe a very large structure, possibly outdoors. Large vivaria, particularly those holding organisms capable of flight, typically include some sort of a dual-door mechanism such as a sally port for entry and exit, so that the outer door can be closed to prevent escape before the inner door is opened.
In modern literature, the word was not heavily used until a publication called "Vivarium", the first of its kind, was created by Phillipe De Vosjoli in San Diego, California to share information about the keeping of reptiles, amphibians and other terrestrial animals in captivity.